Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Unfug the READ poster - go, Iowa!

Stopped at the needlepoint store today for some crewel yarn and spotted this beauty hanging on their wall. I was struck by how superior it is to ALA's products: graphically, textually, subtextually, grammatically, ecumenically...

(I was also struck by the disdain with which the preppy needlepoint ladies treated me, with my pink hair and ratty thrift-store coat, and I seriously considered pulling up my sleeve and pointing at the wall: "Look! tattoos! Just like that guy!" They'd probably pass a stone if a guy who looked like that showed up at Needles 'n' Threads.)

Anyway - in this poster, the challenging gaze of the tattooed man grabs your attention, and then you are rewarded with the unexpected text, "He's really into needlepoint." Look a little more closely and you see the hipster chick who needs to know how to rebuild a carb and the kindergartner who needs more bandwidth: this is how to get someone's attention and then not squander it.

Further, may I add, this model is well-groomed (COLIN), dressed appropriately, and not afraid to show a little skin (I'm talking to you, Stiles).

As Esri Rose just commented: "every one of these [ALA] posters shouts, 'Readers are sad, shy people who can't dress themselves.'" THIS poster insinuates, "Readers are interesting people - and interesting is sexy."